1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
mostly mid latitude desert; semiarid grassland in east
Coastline
0 km note: Uzbekistan does border the Aral Sea (420 km)
Comparative area
slightly larger than California
Disputes
none
Environment
drying up of the Aral Sea is resulting in growing concentrations of chemical pesticides and natural salts
Land area
425,400 km2
Land boundaries
6,221 km total; Afghanistan 137 km, Kazakhstan 2,203 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,099 km, Tajikistan 1,161 km, Turkmenistan 1,621 km
Land use
NA% arable land; NA% permanent crops; NA% meadows and pastures; NA% forest and woodland; NA% other; includes NA% irrigated
Maritime claims
none - landlocked
Natural resources
natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum
Note
landlocked
Terrain
mostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; Fergana valley in east surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking Aral Sea in west
Total area
447,400 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
34 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
7 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
Uzbek 71%, Russian 8%, Tajik 5%, other 16%; note - includes 70% of Crimean Tatars since their World War II deportation
Infant mortality rate
65 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
7,941,000; agriculture and forestry 39%, industry and construction 24%, other 37% (1990)
Languages
Uzbek 85%, Russian 5%, other 10%
Life expectancy at birth
64 years male, 70 years female (1992)
Literacy
NA%
Nationality
noun - Uzbek(s); adjective - Uzbek
Net migration rate
-2 migrants/1,000 population (1992); note - 179,000 persons left Uzbekistan in 1990
Organized labor
NA
Population
21,626,784 (July 1992), growth rate 2.4% (1992)
Religions
Muslim (mostly Sunnis) 75-80%, other (includes Farsi) 20-25%
Total fertility rate
4.2 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
11 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast') and 1 autonomous republic* (avtomnaya respublika); Andizhan, Bukhara, Dzhizak, Fergana, Karakalpakstan* (Nukus), Kashkadar'ya (Karshi), Khorezm (Urgench), Namangan, Samarkand, Surkhandar'ya (Termez), Syrdar'ya (Gulistan), Tashkent; note - an administrative division has the same name as its administrative center (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
Capital
Tashkent (Toshkent)
Chief of State
President Islam KARIMOV (since 29 December 1991)
Communists
NA
Constitution
NA
Diplomatic representation
NA US: Charge d'Affaires Michael MOZUR; Embassy at Hotel Uzbekistan, ;55 Chelendarskaya, Tashkent (mailing address is APO AE 09862); telephone [8] (011) 7-3712-33-15-74
Executive branch
president
Flag
three equal horizontal bands - blue (top), white, and green with a crescent moon and 12 stars in the upper hoist-side quadrant
Head of Government
Prime Minister Abdulhashim MUTALOV (since 13 January 1992)
Independence
31 August 1991 from the Soviet Union; note - formerly Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union
Judicial branch
NA
Legal system
NA
Legislative branch
unicameral Supreme Soviet
Long-form name
Republic of Uzbekistan
Member of
CIS, CSCE, IMF, NACC, UN UNCTAD
National holiday
NA
Other political or pressure groups
Birlik (Unity) Abdurakhim PULATOV, chairman; Islamic Renaissance Party, Abdulljon UTAEV, chairman
Political parties and leaders
People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (formerly Communist Party), Islam KARIMOV, chairman; ERK, Mukhammad SOLIKH, chairman
President
last held 29 December 1991 (next to be held NA December 1996); results - Islam KARIMOV 86%, Mukhammad SOLIKH 12%, other 2%
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Supreme Soviet
last held NA March 1990 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (500 total) Communist 450, ERK 10, other 40
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
cotton, with much smaller production of grain, fruits, vegetables, and livestock
Budget
revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Currency
as of May 1992, retaining ruble as currency
Economic aid
$NA
Electricity
11,400,000 kW capacity; 54,100 million kWh produced, 2,662 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
NA
Exports
$1.5 billion (1990) commodities: cotton, gold, textiles, chemical and mineral fertilizers, vegetable oil partners: Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe
External debt
$2 billion (end of 1991 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power equivalent - $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate -0.9% (1991)
Illicit drugs
illicit producers of cannabis and opium; mostly for domestic consumption; status of government eradication programs unknown; used as transshipment points for illicit drugs to Western Europe
Imports
$3.5 billion (1990) commodities: machinery and parts, consumer durables, grain, other foods partners: principally other former Soviet republics
Industrial production
growth rate 1.8% (1991)
Industries
chemical and mineral fertilizers, vegetable oil, textiles
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
83% (1991)
Overview
Although Uzbekistan accounted for only 3.4% of total Soviet output, it produced two-thirds of the USSR's cotton. Moscow's push for ever-increasing amounts of cotton included massive irrigation projects which caused extensive environmental damage to the Aral Sea and rivers of the republic. Furthermore, the lavish use of chemical fertilizers has caused extensive pollution and widespread health problems. Recently the republic has sought to encourage food production at the expense of cotton. The small industrial sector specializes in such items as agricultural machinery, mineral fertilizers, vegetable oil, and electrical cranes. Uzbekistan also has some important natural resources including gold (about 30% of Soviet production), uranium, and natural gas. The Uzbek government has encouraged land reform but has shied away from other aspects of economic reform.
Unemployment rate
NA
Communications
Airports
NA
Civil air
NA
Highways
78,400 km total (1990); 67,000 km hard-surfaced, 11,400 km earth
Inland waterways
NA km
Pipelines
NA
Ports
none - landlocked
Railroads
3,460 km all 1.520-meter gauge (includes NA km electrified); does not include industrial lines (1990)
Telecommunications
poorly developed; telephone density NA; linked by landline or microwave with CIS member states and by leased connection via the Moscow international gateway switch to other countries; satellite earth stations - Orbita and INTELSAT (TV receive only)
Military and Security
Branches
Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops), National Guard; CIS Forces (Ground, Air and Air Defense)
Defense expenditures
$NA, NA% of GDP
Manpower availability
males 15-49, NA; NA fit for military service; NA reach military age (18) annually